Paul Lynam, of Station Road was found dead at his home by his brother Terrence on the morning of February 21, after the two men had been drinking the previous day.

During the inquest, at Leamington town hall on July 10, Mr Lynam’s wife Helen told coroner Dr Stephen Mather that her husband “drank heavily from his early 20s”.

She added: “Sometimes he would just have a couple of pints but if he drank heavily he would drink four, five or six and sometimes some whiskey at home.

“He used to drink when he had stress. Before his death he was worried about his daughter and work.”

Despite her husband’s problems, Mrs Lynam explained that he was not clinically depressed and that although he took Valium “on the odd night” this was to help him sleep while suffering from a bad back.

Terrence told the coroner that his brother, who was a plumber, had never expressed a wish to harm himself.

He said they were “both heavy drinkers” who went to the pub “a varied amount of times” over the years when they met up.

On February 20 the brothers met at 3pm and had three pints in the pub before Mr Lynam drove them back to his home. There the men shared half a bottle of whiskey.

After going out to get cigarettes Terrence came back to the house and fell asleep in the kitchen, believing his brother had gone to bed.

He woke around 4am and found his brother lying on the front room floor. He contacted the emergency services but Mr Lynam was already dead.

A pathologist’s report said there was no evidence of violence to Mr Lynam and police said there was “no case to answer” for criminal activity.

The forensic toxicologist found that the alcohol content of Mr Lynam’s blood was three times over the limit for driving and cited the cause of death to be “cardiac arrhythmia in association with alcohol intoxication”.

After recording a verdict of death by misadventure, Dr Mather described the incident as “a tragic circumstance which was avoidable”. He added: “I offer the sympathy of the court to you.”